Historic Environment Records - Scotland

HERs (Historic Environment Records) developed out of SMRs (Sites and Monuments Records). SMRs were established from the 1960s onwards in response to the loss of the archaeological resource through urban and rural development. The expansion of SMR/HERs to almost full UK-wide cover by 2004 was driven largely by their role in land-use planning, which expanded after formal government guidance was issued in the early 1990s: in Scotland this comprised 'National Planning Policy Guideline 5 (NPPG 5)' and 'Planning Advice Note (PAN) 42 Archaeology - the Planning Process and Scheduled Monument Procedures' (these were first issued in 1994 and have been regularly reviewed and updated ever since). The protection and enhancement of the historic environment is a key policy of NPF4 (Policy 7), which states that development proposals should be informed by reference to HERs.

From their original remit of recording archaeological sites, HERs have been developed to encompass a wide range of information about the historic environment which has been reflected in their change of name from SMR. Today they provide a unique information resource, forming the basis for sustainable conservation and playing an important role in informing public understanding and enjoyment of the local historic environment. The historic environment includes all aspects of our surroundings that have been built, formed, or influenced by human activities from earliest to most recent times. The HER stores, and provides access to, systematically organised information about these surroundings in a given area. It is maintained and updated for public benefit in accordance with national and international standards and guidance.

An HER makes information accessible to all in order to:
• advance knowledge and understanding of the historic environment.
• inform its care and conservation.
• inform public policies and decision-making on land use planning and management.
• contribute to environmental improvement and economic regeneration.
• contribute to education and social inclusion, and • encourage participation in the exploration, appreciation, and enjoyment of the historic environment.

Most Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) maintain records of the historic (archaeological, built, and occasionally natural) environment. Some LPAs group together to collate their standardised records. Specialist staff and archaeological services (e.g., the West of Scotland Archaeology Service) curate these records and also to provide specialist advice for land-use planning and public information services.

A few LPAs do not collate or curate an HER for their areas. Historic environment data hosted on the Spatial Hub for these LPA areas (listed below) is taken from the Canmore database, maintained by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

It is important to note that Canmore data is not equivalent to HER data. HER data are spatially defined and dynamically curated to be relevant to land use management and historic change over time, while Canmore at its core is a spatial index to the archive holdings of HES in various formats. Therefore, Canmore-derived data should not be used for land management or planning purposes due to its fundamental difference from HER data.

This dataset has two distinct data layers:

• Historic Environment Sites (i.e., known locations and extents of archaeological monuments, features, historic buildings, and findspots, as well as Areas of Archaeological Interest; places known, or likely, to be particularly rich in archaeological features)

• Historic Environment Events (i.e., archaeological investigations and excavations, historic building surveys, environmental impact assessments etc.)

We strongly recommend that, when using the WFS for this dataset, because of its size you should use it with a filter.

LPAs using Canmore data:

• City of Edinburgh • Dundee • Falkirk • Fife • Inverclyde • North Lanarkshire • Orkney Islands